


you and i will always be (back then)

by lilaclavenders



Series: all of this turbulence wasn’t forecasted [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam-Centric, Angst, Deleted Scenes? lmao, Drabbles, Fluff, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Death, One-Shots, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, all that jazz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27928546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaclavenders/pseuds/lilaclavenders
Summary: things that happen duringall stars eventually burn outbut i couldn’t fit in, or i decided to expand on certain characters or the timeline in general.
Relationships: Adam & Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Adam & Keith (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Series: all of this turbulence wasn’t forecasted [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922935
Kudos: 21





	1. slippers and a slip of the tongue, i suppose

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from: time adventure from adventure time :)

Takashi’s a little too busy these days, and on those days, Adam’s a little too angry at the world. Today is not one of those days. 

Takashi asks, “ _How was your day?_ ” He sighs, probably just sinking into his chair.

“Great,” Adam replies, “you know, I think the Spaghetti guy was on rota again, so yeah it was great.”

“ _Mhm_ ,” Takashi agrees mildly, and Adam knows he’s smiling even if he can’t really see him. “I think I teach that kid- He’s actually quite a talented mechanic. He hangs out with Katie and the kid who plays guitar on the dorm roof every Saturday night.”

“I think Keith knows them,” Adam says back, because Takashi’s on his way to his mother’s house and there’s nothing else to say. He doesn’t like arguing on the phone, makes him brave enough to say things he’ll regret. 

A hurricane is expected to land in New York in a few days, anyway. 

It makes sense.

“ _You think_?”

Adam rolls his eyes. “You know Keith, he doesn’t pay attention to people.”

“ _He pays attention to us_ ,” Takashi insists.

“To _you_ ,” Adam corrects with a laugh.

“ _No_ ,” Takashi huffs back. “ _He respects you a lot- Uh, probably more than me._ ”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Adam says, because he doesn’t want to talk about how much influence he truly has over Keith, because that would mean addressing how similar the two are, and that would mean talking about Adam’s issues.

It’s supposed to be an ordinary day, of course. They also avoid talking about why Takashi decided to retreat back to New York, maybe for the last time as far as Adam’s concerned.

“ _Hm_?”

Adam blinks. “You left your slippers here.”

“ _My slippers?_ ”

“Your slippers.”

“ _I see_ ,” Takashi exhales with a smile. “ _Are you wearing them?_ ”

“No,” Adam says, too quickly, “I have my own.”

“ _Mhm_ ,” Takashi says, far too amused for Adam’s liking, “ _yes_ , _you do._ ”

“Go away,” Adam grumbles.

“ _I’m not the one who called, Adam_ ,” Takashi replies, sing-songy and sweet.

Of course, Adam’s established that any day with Takashi somewhere in his life will never be an ordinary day. This one is no different.

Before he can stop himself, Adam snaps, “Well I’m not the one who decided to leave, to go in a spaceship for the rest of his already short lifespan.”

“ _Adam_ ,” Takashi sighs.

“Ugh,” Adam painfully groans. “I’ll see you soon.”

“ _Adam_ ,” Takashi tries again. “ _We can talk-_ “

“See you,” Adam quickly says, hanging up. 

He stares at the ridiculously fluff slippers on his feet, which are a size too big. He shuffles around the kitchen to grab the jar of honey from the back of the cupboard.

He can almost hear his mother tutting at how many spoonfuls of honey he scoops into his mug.

“Well, it’s just one of those days.” Adam bitterly chuckles to himself. He wonders if Takashi left his slippers on purpose, because he won’t need them for when he actually leaves Earth. When he actually leaves Adam.


	2. i’ve been the hardest to love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Takashi find themselves well acquainted with the hospital and conversations they keep having.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title taken from: hardest to love - the weekend

Adam sighs, and they’re having this conversation for what seems like the millionth time, “Your pride is going to be the death of you, you know that? _Not_ \- not whatever the hell’s going here, Takashi.”

Despite the seemingly permanent frown on his face, Adam still wears his engagement ring and holds Takashi’s hand as if he’s about to float off into space if he let go. And despite being on death’s door, Takashi’s looking at Adam like it’s the first time he’s ever seen him and at the rate things are going, perhaps the last time.

“I still want to go,” Takashi insists, quietly stubborn, loudly serene. “I’m doing it if it kills me.”

“Well, that much is apparent,” Adam replies, clenching his jaw enough to stop his lip from curling, the furrow in his brow not enough to stop the tears from forming. 

“I love you,” Takashi says, and he knows it can’t fix everything, can’t make him travel back in time to pinpoint the moment his body decided to give up on him. 

Adam laughs, and squeezes Takashi’s hand once. “You’re such an asshole, you’re lucky Keith wasn’t the one who found you, he would’ve freaked out.”

Takashi hums in agreement. “Well, I thought I could handle it.”

“Adding another training day- _which was unauthorised, may I add, three weeks before Christmas._ You’re not gonna get to space faster by doing this, or do you just want to have control over how you die?”

Takashi sharply exhales through his nose and says quietly, again, “I thought I could handle it.”

“Well, you thought proposing to me was a good idea too, and look where that got you, _Takashi_ , you’re already trying to make me a widowed man before marriage,” Adam bitterly laughs, because if he can put up with Takashi’s bullshit, he can put up with his. 

Love is about compromise and equal exchange, isn’t it? 

Except Takashi’s due to fly off amongst the stars soon, to collect a bunch of rocks at the edges of their solar system, and whether he’ll live to see his 30s isn’t even a question anymore. He does not have the ability to move mountains, or turn water into wine but he’ll insist on trying.

“I’m sorry,” Takashi says, because they’ve had this conversation before, and for all his stubbornness, Adam still proudly holds his hand.

“We can’t have everything, or be everything and yet you’re trying to do exactly that,” Adam says, running his free hand through Takashi’s hair. “God, you’ve left me watching helplessly from the sidelines while... while you go off being reckless.”

“You know how much you mean to me, Adam,” Takashi says, because he loves Adam, because he loves piloting.

Humans are supposed to be complex beings, and perhaps this is the price of the original sin that Adam inherited all those years ago was, learning that love can be unconditional, seeing it as a gift, yet being the most painful thing he’ll ever experience.

“I do, which is both a blessing and a curse,” Adam sighs. “I mean enough, but not enough for you to stay.”

“ _That’s not fair_ -“

“I know,” Adam frustratedly groans, “you had dreams before you knew me, _and so did I_ \- But things change, and now I want something a lot simpler than this.”

Adam’s mother walked away from the church when she was 18, and she believed that God would never let his creation destroy themselves. She learned that life isn’t always a gift, and hurricanes happened for no reason other than to devastate. There’s an unfulfilled dream in the back of one of her desk drawers, stretch marks she runs her fingers over in the quiet of night, and a small house on the coast of Florida to reminds her of this, that God is not all powerful, all loving.

Adam is going through the same journey, except his bible is not of religion, but of his faith in himself and Takashi. He realises now that their temple is falling, and all he can do is watch, stained glass smashing and wine spilling everywhere.

Takashi rubs circles into Adam’s hand, and asks, “Even if it means visiting your frail, old husband in hospital because his muscles can’t even cooperate?”

Love is unconditional, but God, it hurts.

“Especially if it means he’s alive and not trying to kill himself trying to be part of something bigger than himself,” Adam softly says. 

“I love you,” Takashi says, “and I’m sorry,” he adds, because he knows they’re both at a crossroads, and prolonging the inevitable by having the same conversations won’t change a thing. 

“Me too, Takashi,” Adam quietly replies, not bothered to wipe the tears from his face. 

It’s not a confession, not anymore, because he’ll never regret loving Takashi, since he’s always been drawn to dying stars. 


End file.
